It’s a lot of fun. We also put some money in the jukebox and play a bunch of Irish traditional songs as well as Christmas favorites. Plus, there’s plenty of Guinness 
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Prices are very good at Lidl here in the US. A friend of mine lived in Ireland for a few years and she says ours has a lot of the same things as the ones in Europe.
I’ve already bought Gingerbread kits to make with the nieces, and tried a few cheeses and cured meats in the name of holiday research. 
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@LindaWhit
Do you live near a Total Wine? They have this:
https://www.totalwine.com/non-alcoholic/spiritless-kentucky-74-non-alcoholic-bourbon-700ml/p/271589750-1?glia=false&s=1501&&pid=cpc:Core+Catalog+-+Shopping%2BUS%2BNEWJ%2BENG%2BSPART::google::&msclkid=61db6d562c121fd8c6e1044dcc7e6c80&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Core%20Catalog%20-%20Shopping%2BUS%2BNEWJ%2BENG%2BSPART&utm_term=4580840329096985&utm_content=Spirits%20-%20Other&gclid=61db6d562c121fd8c6e1044dcc7e6c80&gclsrc=3p.ds&gad_source=7&gad_campaignid=12315130928
I’ve never tried it, but I know more and more NA spirits are becoming widely available.
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Yes, there’s one near my Wegmans. I’ve enjoyed exploring their wines. My non-alcoholic reference for one of the recipes was for John, as he no longer imbibes. And in a quick Google, there do seem to be some non-alcoholic brandies here in the States. Whether they’d be available to him in the U.K. is another question.
But there are plenty of other dishes he and Mrs H can make that don’t require alcohol substitutes.
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Gotcha. Sorry about the mixup!
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True - but I’m OK cooking with booze. I put that in a different box to “drinking”. 
I am going to look up alcohol free “brandy”. I do keep alcohol free gin and wine for the occasional tipple
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Totally not in line with what is being recommended above and no idea the #'s- paella can get a lot of things done in one dish and can have festive color for presentation. You can cook some extra proteins if you need to refill the rice.
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Well, that’s a horse of a different color! Arkay and Best Regards seem to be two popular choices for AF brandy in the U.K., if you are so inclined to make something with it…or to sip it!
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Ok, my first test of a lamb ragu for my annual Brooklyn holiday party was underwhelming. I mentioned this to my brother, and he recommended this recipe, which he categorized as “one of the best things” he’s ever made. He never says such effusive things, so I got the recipe right away and it’s on the stove now.
Here’s hoping.
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We like Hainanese chicken rice as a festive meal. Is a bit of a project recipe but the end result is loved by all 3 of us.
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Well, that certainly did not suck.
I cooked the entire sauce recipe before realizing I had forgotten the fresh rosemary and thyme, which I had mightily struggled to source a few days after Tgiving. So I added them and reheated the sauce, and BOY what a difference.
There is fresh mint and pecorino added to serve, and again the fresh herb really takes the dish to another level.
I really liked this.
I don’t, however, love having pappardelle with these meaty sauces. First this shape takes forever to cook, which is annoying, but also even with elaborate effort, I can never get the sauce and pasta to marry. It just slides off the big broad noodle. You can’t get the perfect bite with both.
I might try it with something like a bigger ear shape.
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Paccheri is a larger cousin to rigatoni. I find it works well with ragus and Bolognese sauces
If you can find an imported Italian brand, all the better.
And your ragu looks amazing BTW!
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Thanks for all the suggestions. The planning is coming along nicely - although it will go on hold until the end of week, as I’m off to London for a few days to do some research at the National Archives.
Linda’s coq au vin is likely on the sheet for whichever day we are hosting a family get-together. Chicken is about the one thin g that everyone will eat.
Phoenika’s mac and cheese is a runner. What I need is a “luxury” version to lift it from the norm. Any ideas?
And Natascha’s knackwurst prompts the idea for something based around sausages. Guy at the farmers market sells delish ones. It will be the best of times and the wurst of times *
(* apologies for the old joke)
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Pretty sure I got some of those for the previous lamb ragu I tried! Must check the cupboard
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Paccheri is great with meat & shroom sauces alike. One of my favorite short paste.
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Sounds pretty decadent.
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That’s very sweet of you to proofread my posts, @LindaWhit, but I meant to write “paste.” You know, the Eye-talian plural of pasta '-)
I suppose using “pasta shapes” instead would’ve been clearer on a US board…
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Oops, I changed it back.
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Mille grazie!
I really like the Martha’s Perfect recipe, which is one part Gruyere to 2 parts old Cheddar with a bit of nutmeg,.topped with croutons. Here is the Smitten Kitchen take on Martha’s Perfect Mac and Cheese.
Ina’s recipe uses 2 parts Gruyere and 1 part Cheddar, and adds fresh tomato. I might try this soon.
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